SL Chapter 19 Moving Gears


    Through a massive hole, one of the many upon one monolith, a small Cafe could be glimpsed within. It was quiet, small, and most of all, private. The tables and chairs looked like someone had taken a single steel pole and had had it grow, bend, and sprout leaves and flowers, eventually turning into either a chair or a table. It was black, yet gave off a certain beauty that couldn''t be described with simple words.


    Through the hole, which served to let in light, the city could be glimpsed below. Carriages pulled by all manner of beasts were down below, traversing the main roads, while those rare ones pulled by flying beasts could be glimpsed in the skies from time to time.


    Bora gazed at the many monoliths surrounding theirs with a disinterested gaze. Instead, the various sights down below were attracting her eyes more. Being this high up should have impeded her vision, but just a command directed within her cells was enough to cause a shift within her genetic makeup, thereby giving her eyes the power of far vision. It wasn''t anything special by any means since any Spirit Lord, from Liquid upwards, could do it.


    "Bora... I am puzzled as to why you gave that man a leadership position. Shouldn''t it have been more appropriate to give it to me?" Iris asked after taking a sip out of her mug. It contained a drink that was almost the same as coffee, though, anyone who had ever tasted true coffee would be capable of feeling that there was something missing.


    Bora''s eyes finally fell upon her aide, her only friend in the world. Though she was trying to mask it, she could glimpse the shadow of worry within the other woman''s eyes. And she could relate. Because this was related to their eventual fates.


    "He needs to experience what it''s like to hold the reins of power." Bora answered. The Vestige had already hinted at the fact that she might need his help in the future. It was best to nurture him.


    "To me, it feels as if you just threw him to the wolves. Those people, with their egos, not to mention the fact that a traitor, or a group of them, are hiding in their midst, will devour him." Iris sighed. Bora could see that she didn''t understand her intentions. But she herself believed that he would pull through. Her mother''s Vestige wouldn''t give a glimpse into the strings of time and fate lightly.


    "The prophecy already means that he won''t stumble here." Ultimately, Bora said, also picking up her smaller cup of the drink. She had always wondered why Iris loved this virtual beverage. For her, coffee wasn''t something she loved back in the real world. There was no way she could fall in love with something resembling it.


    "Come on, Bora! Take large sips! You lost the bet, so you will have to drink everything. I even took pity on you and gave you a smaller cup!"


    When Iris spoke of that, a grimace couldn''t help but briefly cross her features for a brief instant. She had really thought that the old lady had been the prophesized one.


    "So far, that thing has been right. If you say that he will survive, maybe even thrive... Then it''s possible. After all, if he dies, why would he appear in the future?"


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    "But we shouldn''t be complacent. Not everything is revealed to us. Even if we live through this, we might become disabled or something far worse than death. Fate is a terrifying thing. We should always be humble in front of it."


    "Though, I have always wondered why the madam chose to wield such a power? What was her goal exactly?"


    "My mother was a calculating woman. There are some nights I wonder whether she''s out there in the world, plotting her come back. But a Spiritual Vestige wouldn''t stay with someone else if it''s creator is still alive, right?" Some traces of fear leaked within Bora''s voice.


    "Well! Well! Well... Who do we have here? Isn''t it my dear sister from another mother? What are you doing in such a place? I have never taken you to be someone with a taste for coffee." An annoying voice cut through the atmosphere causing a drastic shift within the expressions of both the women occupying the table.


    A woman had at some point appeared within the Cafe, being followed by two others. She had lustrous dark purple hair cascading down her back and was dressed in a white top with exposed shoulders, coupled with a pair of blue jeans that reached her ankles. Just her exotic eyes, the same as Bora''s, coupled with her beauty, was enough to have almost every male within the small room, turn their heads towards her.


    She sauntered over to their table, with Bora''s gaze having already morphed into calm stoicism.


    "Why are you here, Boram?" She asked calmly even though she knew the reason. This half sister of hers was truly too childish. If it wasn''t for the fact that she had an impressive older brother, then she wouldn''t have managed to survive very well in their cutthroat family.


    "A little bird told me that you''d be here, so I decided to grace you with my magnificent presence." a strand of purple hair was ruthlessly pushed behind her ears. It seems that she wasn''t as calm as she appeared to be. Bora''s calmness was making her irritated, yet she didn''t want her facade to crumble before her friends.


    Before Bora could answer though, she felt a tug at her spiritual energy, causing a sliver of it to escape her body, and merge into the air. Her eyes widened even as her head swiveled over to Iris, whose gaze also mirrored her astonishment. What had just happened? Did this world just take a sliver of their spiritual energy?


    -----


    By the window he stood, looking out into the city, taking in the bustle of humanity. For a moment he fantasized each and every person he could see before him as an awakened, but ultimately, he shook his head. Politics had gotten in the way of his goals, forcing him to take a roundabout way that required a long time to pull off, not to mention resources.


    But ultimately those idiots who had thought that they wielded all the power had simply been stagnating themselves. If they knew what he knew, then they would have most definitely raced to have had every single person awaken. He could have told them in the first place. But that would have meant that the initiative was out of his hands, something he wasn''t keen on seeing.


    The stupid fools were probably out there, celebrating the fact that they had managed to prevent his plans from going through, which would have shifted power away from them and into the hands of the people. Though, he himself couldn''t really lie to himself that he cared about the normal human. He didn''t have time for that. All he wanted was to raise his strength. To take that step forward that would place him above each and everyone of the others. Recently, they had started getting big heads. After all, they could sense that he was at the same level as them. The peak of the Crystal stage. They wanted his secrets. They wanted the invisible authority he held among humankind. Yet, they were also weary of poking the sleeping dragon. Each of them was waiting for some cocky fellow to take the lead.


    A smirk faintly manifested itself across his face while the temperature around him increased by a factor of a few degrees. How he wouldn''t love some fool to attack right this moment. They would serve as an example to the others that they weren''t on the same level. He had knowledge of the next level, allowing him to polish his strength towards it. They lacked such fundamental knowledge. Meaning, they couldn''t really surpass their limits like he could.


    But now that everything had matured. The world was about to change. It was time to take that step and aim for the Spiritual world. It was the true stage for Spirit Lords. Not this mundane realm, clearly lacking in resources.


    Musana''s eyes, whose pupils were akin to two Suns had their glow increase in intensity as the anticipation within him reached a peak.


    Then he felt a change within the room, one which came from the direction of the opening door. But he didn''t turn around, already having known of the person who would arrive.


    "It looks like the gears of fate have been set in motion." The newcomer commented even as he plopped down on the sofa adjacent to his desk. Musana could still remember how fearful the brat had been in his presence. Yet now, he was blatantly showing his disrespect.


    "This is all the result of human effort. Fate is an Illusory concept." Musana commented.


    "Really? I don''t believe so." The man refuted.